Railroad-rail joint



Q I (No Model.)

J. F. WHITAKER. RAILROAD ngIL JOINT. 549,084. Patented Oct. 29, 1895.

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QMKV WW4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN FRANCIS WHITAKER, OF CRYSTAL, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM E.MUGFORD, OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN.

RAILROAD RAIL Jom-r.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,084, dated October29, 1895. A plication filed February 23, 1895. Serial No. 539,470. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J 015m FRANCIS WHIT- AKER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the township of Crystal, in the county of Oceana andState of Michigan, have invented a certain new Improvement inRailroad-Rails and the Coupling of the Same, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a new way of constructing railroad-rails so theycan be coupled together without the use of the straps of iron now incommon use, which are placed along the side of the rail to hold them inplace and bolted together.

My invention constructs the ends ofthe rail by adding thereto aprojecting tenon from four to ten inches long, according to the size ofthe rail, the end of which is slanted to an angle of sixty degrees,.andalso two small triangular-shaped projections from the top ofthe rail.The other end is constructed with a groove, slot, and shoulders, intowhich and upon which the said tenon's and triangular projections restwhen coupled together.

To couple this invention together I place the rail containing thegrooved end down first, then place the tenon of another rail in the slotand elevate theother end, then push them together, then drop the end toa level with first rail, and they are held securely in place by ashoulder on the other side of the tenon.

The ends of the rail are constructed full for about twelve inches fromeach end, in order to make it strong, as shown in model and drawings.

The slot in the groove is made longer than the shoulder on the underside of the tenon, in order to allow for the contraction and expansionof the rail.

The objects of my invention are, first, to construct the railroad-railsso they can be coupled without the extra expense of the side straps andbolts; second, to save the time of making the old-fashioned coupling, asabove described; third, to obtain a solid union and preserve a smoothtrack. Where the rails are united in the old way the ends soon crush offand make a sag or rough place in the track. By the use of my inventionthis will never happen, or the sides of the rail are made full and willnever crush OE and make a rough spot.

Figure 1 shows a side view of the ends of the rail before they arecoupled together. Fig. 2 represents a side view of the two ends of therail coupled together. Fig. 3 shows a top view of the ends of the railbefore they are coupled. Fig. 4 shows a top view of the rails coupledtogether and in use.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

F represents the projecting tenon with the shoulder on the under side.

R represents the groove and slot into which the tenon and shoulder F isplaced when coupled. p

B represents the space in the slot in the bottom of the groove left toaccommodate the contraction of the rails.

A represents the triangular-shaped projection on each side of the tenonF, which rests onthe shoulder C when the rails are coupled and unitedtogether.

I claim as my invention and desire Letters Patent for- 1. A railroadrail with one end constructed with a projecting tenon with a shoulder onthe under side thereof which is represented by F., in Fig. 1., the endof which is slanted to an angle of sixty degrees and also with twotriangular shaped projections A A., in Fig. 3., from the top of the railand the other end is constructed with a groove with a slot in thebottom, R, andtwo shoulders C 0., upon which restthe two triangularshaped projections A A., when coupled together.

2. In a coupling for rails of any kind, a coupling having at one end aprojecting tenon with a shoulder on the under side thereof, as at F, theouter end of said tenon being inclined at an angle of sixty degrees, andalso having two triangular shaped projections as at A,'A, the end of theadjoining rail, being provided with a groove having a slotas at R andwith two recesses C C to receive the projections A, A, when coupledtogether, sub

stantially as described.

JOHN FRANCIS WHITAKER.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH EVANS, B. R. GALE.

